Normally, silkscreen printers are constructed for printing a pattern solely in one direction, wherewith the squeegee arrangement is constructed for movement along the stencil in said one direction, while pushing a collection of ink along the stencil during the printing operation.
The squeegee is then returned quickly to its printing position while smoothing out residual ink, or ink paste, over the stencil, such that when the squeegee arrangement is subsequently moved in the aforesaid one direction the stencil pattern is printed directly onto fresh print material.
It is obvious that the printing rate of the printer could be substantially increased if printing of one and the same pattern could be effected by displacement of the squeegee arrangement in two mutually different and mutually opposite directions.
It is previously known to increase the printing rate of a silkscreen printer, by constructing the printer for printing of one and the same pattern by movement of a squeegee in two mutually different and mutually opposite directions, the printing table of this known silkscreen printer being held stationary in relation to the chassis of the printer.
Silkscreen printers of this known kind are exemplified in German Patent Publication 1 561 112 and Swedish Patent Application 8503432-0 (SE-B-448 424).